Fastening device for gun cradles



Dec. 4,1923. 1,476,079

. B. P. JOYCE INVENTOR I LE1" an F. J 0 c: E

ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 4, 1923.

BRYAN 1?. JOYCE, OF DAVENPORT, IOWA.

FASTENING DEVICE FOR GUN CRADLES.

Application filed September 6, 1923. Serial No. 661,263.

(FILED UNDER THE ACT OF MARCH 3, 1883, 22 STAT. L, 625.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BRYAN P. JoYoE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Davenport, county of Scott and State of Iowa, have invented an Improvement in Fastening Devices 'for Gun Cradles, of which the following is a specification.

The invention described herein may be used by the Government, or any of its othcers or employees in prosecution of work for the Government, or by any other person in the United States, without payment to me of any royalty thereon, in accordance with the act of March 3, 1883.

The present invention relates to fastening devices for gun cradles.

The primary object of this invention is the provision of means whereby a gun cradle may be secured to the cradle lock-eye, elevating arc, or gun carriage.

A further object of the invention is the provision of such means which may be cllieaply constructed and readily secured in ace.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention resides in the novel arrangement and combination of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

A practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view through the gun cradle and lock-eye showing the securing member in place; and

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the lock-eye and securing member showing the gun cradle in section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings by numerals of reference:

I have shown at 5 a gun cradle, provided on its outer face with a transverse T-groove 6 in which is slidably mounted the T-head 7 of a cradle lock-eye 8. This lock-eye is pro vided with the usual opening 9 for securing the gun cradle to the carriage in the traveling position of the gun.

In the preferred embodiment of my in vent-ion the T-head of the lock-eye is formed with a vertical slot as at 10 and the cradle 5 is formed with slots 11 and 12 arcuate in form and registering with the slot in the T-head. A piano-convex member 13 is passed through the registering slots in the T-head and the gun cradle to lock the cradle and lock-eye together. At one end the T- head is formed with a bevel-cut 14 communicating with the slot in the head.

To secure the lock-eye to the cradle the locking member 13 is tilted upwardly through the bevel cut 14 and slots 10 and 11 until it contacts with the upper side of the groove 6, it is then pushed rearwardly until it seats firmly in the slots 10, 11 and 12. The locking member is retained in position by the lower wall 15 defining the slot 10 in the T-head and by a cotter pin 16 passed through an opening 17 in an extension 18 at one end of the locking member. In order to release the lock-eye from the cradle the cotter pin 16 is first removed and the looking member 13 is then driven from its securing position.

\Vhile I have shown the locking member as employed to secure a lock-eye to the cradle it is obvious that the same locking member may be employed in securing the cradle to any other member of the gun carriage or indeed for securing any two parts together. Instead of a cotter pin a snap fastener or suitable auxiliary locking device may be employed to maintain the locking member in locking position.

While I have shown the cradle formed with a groove and the lock-eye formed with a head in said groove it is obvious that the groove and head might be interchanged without altering the object of my invention.

I claim:

1. A locking device embodying a pair of members, one of said members formed with a groove, the other member having a tongue adapted for interlocking engagement with said groove, the members provided with registering slots, one of said members being formed with a bevel-cut communicating with its slot and a key member substantially piano-convex in form adapted to be inserted in said slots and cut by an upwardly tilting and rearwardly sliding movement to lock said members together and means for maintaining said key in looking position.

2. A locking device embodying a pair of members,

members, one of said members formed with a groove, the other member having a tongue adapted for interlocking engagement with said groove, the members provided with registering slots, one of said members being formed with a bevel cut communicating with its slot and a key member substantially lano-convex in. form adapted to be inserted in said slots and cut by an upwardly tilting and rearwardly sliding movement to lock said members together.

3. A. locking device embodying a pair of members, one of said members formed with a groove, the other member having a tongue adapted for interlocking engagement with said groove, one of said members being formed with a bevel cut communicating With its slot and a key member adapted to be inserted through said bevel cut into said slots to lock said members together.

-i. A locking device embodying a pair of one of said members provided with a groove on its outer face, said other member having a tongue adapted for interlocking engagement with said groove, said members provided with registering slots and a plane-convex member adapted to be insert-. ed in said slots, by an upwardly tilting and rearwardly sliding movement to lock said members together, said plano-convex member in looking position being adapted to have its plane face lie flush with the outer face of the first named member.

5. A locking device embodying a pair of members, one of said members provided with a recess on its outer face, said other member having a portion adapted to enter said recess and be retained therein, said members formed with registering slots and means adapted to be inserted in said slots, by an upwardly tilting and rearw ardly sliding movement and to lie'flush with the outer face of the first named member, to lock said members together.

6. A locking device embodying a pair of members, one of said members formed on its outer face With a recess, the other member having a portion adapted to enter said recess and be retained therein, said members formed with registering slots, and means adapted to be inserted in said slots and to lie flush with the outer face of the first named member for locking aid members to-, gether.

BRYAN P. JOYCE. 

